Nicknamed the ‘Black Key Étude’, Frédéric Chopin’s Etude In G Flat Major Op. 10 No. 5 is one of his most popular. It has been a common repertoire piece for pianists since Chopin’s time and has inspired numerous exercises, arrangements and paraphrases.

The etude was composed in 1830 and published for the first time in 1833 in France, Germany and England as the fifth piece of Chopin’s Études Op. 10. Despite its enduring popularity, Chopin himself did not believe the study to be one of his most interesting. In a letter to his pianist friend and musical executor Julian Fontana he commented on Clara Wieck’s performance:

"Did Wieck play my Etude well? How could she have chosen precisely this Etude, the least interesting for those who do not know that it is intended for the black keys, instead of something better! It would have been better to remain silent."

This Henle Urtext Edition for solo Piano has been edited by Ewald Zimmermann and includes fingering by Hermann Keller.